10 Children’s Picture Books Guaranteed to Make You Smile

10 Children’s Picture Books Guaranteed to Make You Smile

Sometimes in life, you need a picture book to relive childhood memories, to help you get in touch with your inner child, or make you smile. Here’s a list of ten to get you started.

Officer Buckle and Gloria, by Peggy Rathman. Office Buckle and a police dog named Gloria conduct safety speeches at local schools. But who’s the star of the show? Officer Buckle the straight man? Or Gloria, the class clown?

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type, by Doreen Cronin. Farmer Brown has a problem. His cows are on strike and use a typewriter they find in the barn to type their demands—better working conditions and electric blankets or no milk. What’s a farmer to do?

Zombie in Love, by Kelly DiPucchio. Mortimer the zombie is looking for love. His limbs fall off, so he can’t work out. He’s too “stiff” for dancing. And the ladies don’t appreciate his maggoty gifts of boxed chocolates. But then, Mortimer meets Mildred.

Darth Vader and Son, by Jeffrey Brown. Active parenting is a tough job, especially if you’re Darth Vader. How do you spend “take your child to work day”? Is it too permissive to empty the cookie jar by using the force? And can you be a loving parent—even if you’re the Dark Lord?

Mustache Baby, by Bridget Heos. Billy was born with a mustache. His parents accept Billy’s unique attribute because it seems to be a good guy mustache. But what happens when Billy’s mustache curls up at the ends and he turns bad guy?

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, by Mo Willems. On a trip home from the laundromat, Trixie realizes Knuffle Bunny is missing. In frantic toddler-speak, Trixie tells her father they need to turn around, but he just think she’s being “fussy.” Until mom steps in to translate.

The Day the Crayons Quit, by Drew Daywalt. Duncan opens his box of crayons and finds a stack of letters instead. His crayons feel abused—Red feels overworked, Black wants to color a beach ball, and Orange claims to be the true color of the sun. How does Duncan make his crayons happy?

Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak. The classic picture book that tells the tale of Max, sent to his room for being a “wild thing.” From his room he sails to the land of Wild Things where he is crowned king.

Thanks to my co-workers, who share a love of reading and who helped me put together this list. Their contributions and ideas are invaluable!